Graduation Day
by T-drift
Summary: This was not merely a normal tennis team. This was a goal, a dream. This was Seigaku! One-shot.


**Graduation Day**

_By: T-Drift_

Disclaimer: Takeshi Konomi owns all the characters mentioned in this fic.

* * *

Seishun Gakuen was crowded. Parents assembled, families got together for photos, seniors lined up for the headmaster's speech and the classical music, with the violin and piano playing in the background, gave this strange yet interesting feeling to this very special day.

The choir was singing the song "Graduation" by Vitamin C.

Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, one clear blue sky and beautiful, colourful sakura trees stood tall and proud surrounding the grassy field. Today was indeed the most perfect summer day.

**And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives**

**Where we're gonna be when we turn 25**

"So this is it isn't it, Tezuka?" Said Fuji Syusuke standing next to his in-a-few-hours-to-become ex. captain. Because this day was graduation day for the seniors at Seishun Gakuen.

"Aah. This is it." Tezuka Kunimitsu answered him with a smile, both looking straight ahead at the families and other random people taking a seat infront of the stage.

Among the visitors Tezuka's parents, Fuji's older sister and Kikumaru's two older siblings could be seen, all busy picking the appropriate seat for the best photo view.

**I keep thinking times will never change,**

**Keep on thinking things will always be the same**

The graduating seniors, class by class, were all standing next to each other facing the busy crowd, and the platform where the headmaster would soon make his _speech de final_.

Fuji turned his head to the right to locate Kikumaru, his classmate and, soon former, Seishun tennis club member. He didn't have to look for long though as Kikumaru Eiji was the sixth person standing in the same row, counting from Fuji's right.

Kikumaru was chatting with Oishi Syuchiroh and laughing happily; Oishi was ten people away from Kikumaru, so the chatting was rather loud, however the noise from he crowd was even louder which made it a little hard for others to make out what Eiji and Oishi were saying.

With that seen, Fuji's smile widened as he now turned to look behind him, at the other graduating classes at Seishun . There they all were, heads high and proud. Among them were his closer friends from the tennis team, Kawamura Takashi and Inui Sadaharu. Inui turned to look at Fuji and Fuji opened his eyes; Inui nodded and Fuji smiled and nodded back.

**But when we leave this year we won't be coming back**

**No more hanging out 'cause we're on a different track**

Although being so proud, although this was the day that would get them one step closer to their dreams and future goals, and even though this was a happy and memorable day, the nervous tension was still there in each and every one of them.

Tezuka Kunimitsu, Oishi Syuchiroh, Eiji Kikumaru, Inui Sadaharu, Fuji Syusuke, and Kawamura Takashi. The leading examples of the tennis team - the core of the Seishun Gakuen Tennis Club. Together with their younger friends of the team: Ryoma Echizen, Momoshiro Takeshi and Kaoru Kaidoh, they formed a golden bond of the successes of the junior tennis world.

Kawamura waved a _Hi_ to his father who was already seated among the other visitors. On the row in front of Kawamura's father, Ryoma's cousin Nanako could be seen, and Nanjiroh Echizen, Ryoma's father. Ryoma's mother was also there, holding a camera, as she promised to take a one last memory for Ryoma to keep before his seniors, that he so very much looked up to, departed on their own journey far from Seishun, away from the tennis team.

**And if you've got something that you need to say**

**You better say it right now 'cause you don't have another day**

Everyone was now seated and the headmaster of Seishun stepped forward and prepared his speech papers at the outdoor stage. With that seen, everyone went quiet and the only sound made was the background music still playing "Graduation," sans the vocals.

The headmaster cleared his throat. The microphone was tested by an assistant, and so the final speech was to begin…

"This is not merely just a name. Seishun Gakuen is a school of honour, strength and passion. In my years as a headmaster, I see hard work, I see friendship, I see goals in those children's eyes…"

**'Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down**

**These memories are playing like a film without sound**

Some of the adults were already in tears as they watched their sons and daughters standing in front of the proud school building that was Seishun Gakuen. Their children who now graduated and waited eagerly, yet proudly, for their grade report as they listened to the farewell speech and watched their now nine-years-to-have-been knowledge source for the last time.

"…truth, and many of you have contributed in such a big way to make this school a better place, others have honoured it with the spirit of sports. A special thanks has to go to our tennis club, that taught us that anything is possible, when you believe."

"The club members, that opened our eyes and allowed us to enjoy the taste of victory after hard work, sweat and tears. The tennis players that burned with such a strong desire to always aim high, to always be the best, to always _win_."

"This year, we ranked top. Because of them, we _ranked top_..."

**So if we get the big jobs, and we make the big money**

**When we look back now, will our jokes still be funny?**

Tears filled everyone's eyes in this hot and emotional day. Eyes burned with the desire to let those tears out. Pride battled minds to stand straight and honour this school one last time. This was an emotional moment, a moment they would forever remember along the side of their separate chosen paths.

**Will we still remember everything we learned in school?**

**Still**** be trying to break every single rule?**

"I would like of the Seishun Tennis Club regulars, both graduating and non-graduating, to step up please."

"Seishun Gakuen tennis club captain, senior Tezuka Kunimitsu."

"Senior Inui Sadaharu."

"Freshman Echizen Ryoma."

"Senior Kikumaru Eiji."

"Sophomore Kaidoh Kaoru."

"Senior Fuji Syusuke."

"Senior Kawamura Takashi."

"Sophomore Momoshiro Takeshi."

"Vice captain, senior Oishi Syuchiroh, and of course coach Ryuzaki Sumire…"

Hundreds of rounds of applauses were heard all over Seishun Gakuen and the respective family members of each tennis club regular that attended the graduation stood up as they clapped their hands with pride. The rest of the crowd followed and soon everyone was standing up, clapping hands, eyes still in tears and music still playing behind the graduating students.

A bow from the tennis club members to the crowd in gratitude followed up by each one accepting a reward diploma from the headmaster, along with a respectful handshake. Cameras clicked and applauses kept coming; some were even whistling.

**I keep thinking that it's not goodbye,**

**Keep on thinking it's a time to fly,**

**And this is how it feels…**

This was it.

Graduation day.

The day they both longed for and dreaded at the same time. This was the end of their matches together. The end of the morning practices before classes started every day. The end of all the hard work and challenges through the years they valued so deeply.

This was the end of the the-last-afternoon-before-exams hours and get-together-homework times.

This was the day the tennis club regular members would separate, leaving the team to form anew. One new hope. One new bond. The hopes of one other Golden-pair…

No, this was not merely a normal tennis team. This was a goal, a dream, a white line crossing the promising blue sky.

Passion.

Strength.

Hard work.

Victory.

This was _Seishun Gakuen_.

**As we go on, we remember**

**All the times we had together**

**And as our lives change, come whatever**

**We will still be friends forever**

The regulars, still up front on the stage, formed a circle and put their hands together in one spot, one last time…

"SEIGAKU!"

"FIGHT OH!"

"SEIGAKU!"

"FIGHT OH!"

"SEIGAKU!"

"_FIGHT OH!_"

…they all shouted with a burning promise, just like the day of their first match together as a complete team.

**Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?**

**Can we survive it out there?**

**Can we make it somehow?**

**I guess I thought that this w****ould never end,**

**And suddenly it's like we're women and men.**

**Will the past be a shadow that will follow us 'round?**

**Will these memories fade when I leave this town?**

**I keep thinking that it's not goodbye,**

**Keep on thinking it's a time to fly…**

**And this is how it feels.**

* * *

**A/n:** The end! I always wanted to write one of those graduation fics and I believe this one turned out pretty well, although short. But that's sort of how I wanted it.

The reason why I wanted to write a graduation fic is because when I graduated, it was the most memorable day in my life. It was like I was suddenly all grown up that day. I was to take a new step in life, one closer to dreams and goals. And even though I was happy and emotional, I was at the same time nervous and sad; it was a strange feeling that this was the end of something I wasn't emotionally ready to let go of, you know?

As cliché as it may sound, I literally just wanted to break down and cry. I wanted time to stop and never move again.

There would be no more hanging out with friends like we always did. No more doing homework after school. No more staying up late the night before the day of the exam. No more practicing in the club. No more breaking rules and laugh at our pranks and silly jokes.

Graduation day was both an end to something beautiful and memorable, and a beginning to a new world. We would all go our separate ways and never look back. Or would we?

The lyrics used are from the song "Graduation (friends forever)" by Vitamin C, which is the theme song for this story. I chose this song because this is the song that put a beautiful closure to the high school days of my friends and I. This was the song played that one last day we made a promise to always stay friends 'til the end.

This fic is dedicated to all my past classmates, and friends. I hope we can all get together and meet again one day.


End file.
